Engineers advocate policies to aid women’s professional growth

Engineers have canvassed inclusive policies that support women’s career development and enable them to drive innovation in engineering fields. The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Lagos Chapter also emphasised the need for continuous training of female engineers to empower them in tackling challenges, especially in underserved communities.

Chairman of the chapter, Atinuke Owolabi, made the call at a technical forum entitled: “Empowering women engineers for 2025, building resilience and strategies for sustainable growth” organised by the chapter in Lagos.

She said the chapter is determined to empower women engineers with cutting-edge skills to become solarpreneurs who will be able to tackle energy challenges in underserved communities.

Atinuke said the chapter plans to provide sustainable infrastructure such as boreholes, toilets, and bio-digesters, with bio-digesters powering boreholes with renewable energy in underserved communities.

She disclosed that the chapter has launched its online resource hub, where members can access various educational tools; and learn courses from Udemy on Complete Solar Energy PV Design Course, Communication Skills, Artificial Intelligence with Machine Learning and Data Science and Analysis.

The association, she said, has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Works, Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria, AutoGiG, Tranos, Dangote, and other organisations to provide graduate trainee programmes, and equip young engineers with practical industry experience and technical skills.

The chairman encouraged the practitioners to remain united, foster resilience and build a brighter future for themselves and the next generation of women engineers. She added the group will continue to support the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) growth, of young engineers with mentorship programmes, and foster their development and integration into the engineering profession.

Speaking on the theme, the Managing Director of the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN), Mrs Olufunmilayo Kadri, pointed out that building resilience is crucial for female engineers to navigate the challenges they may face in a male-dominated field such as gender bias and lack of mentorship.

The ACEN MD urged the practitioners to explore strategies for sustainable growth and inspire action for collective empowerment. This, she said, includes advocating for diversity as groups and individuals for inclusive workplaces and policies that promote equal opportunities in the profession.

Kadri, who was one of the founding members of APWEN said: “We should be encouraging women to start their own businesses in collaboration with like-minded engineers. We should also advocate for policies that support women in engineering such as equal pay, flexible work environment and creating a level playing field for women to thrive, drive innovation and sustainable development.”